Issue Date: September 9, 2007
Easy ways to safeguard and share your photos
Protect snapshots with secure storage available from various online services.
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If you've gone digital with your photos, then you probably know that the precious memories you've captured can disappear in an instant if you're not careful. Luckily, several online services offer secure storage for photos at little or no cost.
Mozy.com, for example, gives users 2 gigabytes of free online storage backup. That's enough room for about 1,700 images at a resolution of 3 megapixels. Another site, mediamax.com, offers 25 gigabytes of free storage for photos (or any other files) and lets you share them by e-mail.
Kodak's EasyShare Gallery (kodakgallery.com) and Hewlett-Packard's Snapfish (snapfish.com) pump up sharing choices with their array of print options and photo products while giving free, unlimited photo storage. (Both of these sites require a single purchase once every 12 months and provide a place where people can view and buy your pictures.)
Kodak's Gallery Premier service ($24.99 per year) includes $500 worth of print replacement coverage.
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Cut the cost of organics
5 ways to beat the premium prices
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Scout out coupons. In an online search engine, type in your desired food and the phrase "organic coupons." You can find coupons for organic packaged goods (Equal Exchange coffees, Lundberg Rice Chips) at Mambosprouts.com. Stonyfield.com offers one-time-only e-coupons on its dairy products.
Buy in bulk. Your local health food store or food co-op usually will have better prices on produce and packaged goods than most grocers. And head for their bulk bins to find even lower prices (and minimal packaging -- also good for the environment).
Shop warehouse and discount stores. Wal-Mart and Sam's Clubs now sell organic items, and Costco is expanding its natural offerings with reduced prices.
Negotiate. Farmers markets are a growing source of organic, locally grown produce, but the prices can be high. Vendors often will discount slightly bruised produce or give you a break on, say, a half-bushel of tomatoes -- especially late in the day.
Choose selectively. Should you go for the $6 quart of organic strawberries or the $3.49 pack of conventionally grown? For such dilemmas, check out ewg.org, the Environmental Working Group's website, which has a shopper's guide to fruits and veggies most susceptible to pesticide residue. (Sorry, but strawberries are among them.) For foods that are more resistant (such as broccoli), you might decide to go conventional.
Walecia Konrad is an award-winning consumer reporter.
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It's time to transplant
Here's how to move your daylilies to a new spot.
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Now's the time to transplant perennials. Whether you want to move plants because you don't like how they look together, they weren't put in the best location for their needs, or they have grown large and need to be divided, try these tips:
Transplant six weeks before the first frost date where you live.
Pick the new site and prepare the soil before digging up the plant.
In the morning or at dusk, not in the heat of midday, dig up the plant and cut off its foliage 1 inch above the base. If the plant is large, dig in a large perimeter so you don't cut the roots. Replant immediately.
To divide a plant, place it upright or on its side and use a large cutting knife or the end of a spade to make as many rooted pieces as desired. Plant immediately.
Pat soil around the plant, and add a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch.
Water deeply every day for two weeks, unless it rains.
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A new anti-acne diet
Many doctors say that diet doesn't cause acne, however a new Australian study suggests otherwise.
Facial acne improved dramatically in young men (ages 15 to 25) who for three months shifted their diet away from foods that spike blood sugar, such as soft drinks, candy and white bread. These foods are also called high-glycemic-index foods.
This is the first real evidence that reducing glycemic load relieves acne, researchers say. Their theory: Foods that are sugary and highly processed hype insulin, which affects hormones in ways that promote acne.
Message for youths who are prone to acne: Curb blood sugar spikes by eating whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, and you might actually be able to keep acne away.
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